Author's Note: I thank you all for your patience, i'm sorry for not posting for a while. Things with school and Halloween got in the way. But I hope you all enjoy this chapter as it's longer. Once again i'm thanking Glazier Blue for all her help with this chapter. Once again feel free to ask question. Enjoy.
Chapter 7: Aftermath
Silence, a commodity that was considered rare in a lair full of teenage ninjas. Usually it was a comfort to some as it meant nothing was up…or was there? Either way silence still was a rare thing, and was usually welcomed in this dwelling. But it wasn't welcome today as the silence was because of the events from the previous night.
Three of the four brothers sat in the kitchen, silently eating breakfast as they mulled over their own thoughts. Don still wasn't talking to them. He had made that quite clear after he had slammed the door in their faces. They had hoped that he had cooled down by now and forgiven them, but it didn't appear so.
Mostly they wanted his forgiveness to relieve their guilt for their neglected treatment of him and a few times in the past. Promising that they would take more responsibility from here on out. But they would be lying to themselves if they said they didn't want forgiveness just so they could have their punishment lifted. The guilt of that was eating at them almost as strongly as to what they had done.
After the 10 minutes of pin dropping silence, Mikey as normal was the first to crack. "So…do you guy's think Don is feeling any better about us today?" He asked determined to get a discussion started.
"Translation, you want to know if Donnie is going to lift the ban on the video games and being grounded?" Raph raised an eyebrow.
"No it's not just about that." Mikey protested and then looked at his more compassionate brother for a response.
"I really don't know Mikey." Leo responded as he took a bite of toast. Deciding to take a moment to chew before resuming. "He was still really mad after you two left." Remembering the peroxide bottle being flung at his head had been a major prompt to back the hell off.
But Raph, not been able to resist putting his two cent in..."Our Brainac will be fine." He declared while munching on his cereal. "He never stays mad for too long. Shell he's probably feeling worse than we are for that display."
"Speaking from experience are we hot head?" It was Mikey's turn to give out that you're a hypocrite look. Raph just looked away not wanting to start anything so early in the morning.
Leo was skeptical. It was true. It wasn't in Donnie's nature to hold grudges, and usually regretted his actions soon after, even if he had every right to be mad, he never did. But, something just felt different this time. "I don't know Raph," Leo deciding to speak up. "This was… this 'is' different." He shrugged in his seat uncomfortably. "I think we need to face the fact that we made something snap and will take a bit more to repair than just a simple sorry."
"I second that motion." Mikey jokingly put up a voting hand. "Don and I hardly ever fight. We're not like you two." He nodded to them. "Last night, he gave me chills."
"Look, I'm not trying to be callus here." Raph sigh before leaning forward. "But trust me our boy wasn't thinking clearly. Just look at how he fixed himself up? Without any meds! I mean let's face it, Donnie boy can hold his own, but he doesn't have the highest thresh hold for pain. His head must have been on a trip from here to the moon to go through all that. When it comes to pain I'm pretty tough, but even I wouldn't have been able to handle that."
"Yep that last bit I totally believe." Mikey didn't bother to resist a grin. Lucky for him Raph wasn't in a mood to do more than just glare. Tensions were already high enough with one brother… But he was pushing it! "Anyway." Ignoring that. "Like I said he's the forgiving type, so things should be fine in a bit."
It was only then they heard the familiar taps of a walking stick alerting them to their father's presence in the kitchen. He greeted them with a nod. "Good morning my sons."
"Morning sensei." they returned quietly. They watched him as he went and made his usual morning meal. A small bagel with some cream cheese spread on it before sitting down to enjoy their usual morning ritual.
Without looking up from his plate "I trust you all gave considerable thoughts to your actions regarding last night?" he asked with the same parental tone he had chastised them with before.
Well there was no point beating around the bush. The boys all quickly nodded but remained silent. A verbal response would sure betray there guilt topped with frustration and coated with worry right now. Despite their father's pleasant tone they knew he must be still disappointed with them. They would have to be cautious with their tones and actions for a while before they could find their way out of this walking on egg shells territory. "Good. Now I expect the three of you to greet your brother warmly when he comes in."
"Yes sensei." They groaned. They really wanted to just let him cool off right now. To them it was best to not make contact as Don had made it quite clear that he didn't want to see them… Speak of the devil! Their purple clad brother then walked in, cutting them off as he brought an Icey stinging silence with him. They couldn't help but look at him the turtle and he at them with narrow eyes. His bandage shoulder was a screaming and loud reminder of their actions. As they watched him moving around the kitchen, they couldn't repress a small wince at the pain he was trying to hide.
"Morning Donnie." All three said nervously, but that was returned with only more silence and another quick glare as he walked right passed them while making his coffee. The three exchange a look. Yep. He was still ticked at them. Ok, they accepted that but still how far would he let this go on for?
"Can I get you anything Don?" Leo asked first trying to get him to respond. Still silence.
"You feeling ok Donnie?" Raph went next but Don stood with his shell to them.
The brothers again exchanged a look. Concern growing as to why their brother wasn't speaking, even though they are expressing their concerns for him. Did he think that they are just doing it out of guilt? Well he would be right, but still… Mikey decided to try.
"So Donnie…can I make you anything?" but just like the other two, he was met with silence. This confirmed that they were being ignored. Splinter cleared his throat. "Good morning Donatello."
"Morning sensei." With a small voice Don looked back at his father. Obviously not wanting to hang around, Donnie filled his mug, took a sip and grabbed a handful of cereal bars quickly exiting the room leaving three baffled brothers behind him.
"Why that little…why would he…He just totally blow us off!" Raph was at a loss of what to say beyond that. Donnie wasn't just giving them the cold shoulder, he was whacking them square in the face with it.
"Is Donnie really giving us the silent treatment?" Mikey asked not surprised but still a little hurt.
"Gee I'm not sure Mikey. What do you think?" Raph rolled his eyes. "Isn't the lack of answering a clue?" But Raph's sarcasm wasn't doing much to hide his hurt either.
"Clearly as not as forgiving as you thought bro." Leo added sounding defeated which only seemed to irritate the red brother's mood further. They all looked at their father with that pleading expression they all hadn't used since they were kids. (Mikey been the exception. He used it all the time.) The silent question loud and clear.
Splinter sigh. "Alright. I will talk to him in a bit." The old rat slowly got up from the table.
"We just want to know if he's ok?" Leo responded with a smile, glad to know that his father will most likely take care of things. Well he had to, Splinter could always calm them and make them see clearly …right?
"But as it is clear that he still hasn't forgiven you…" the father declared before leaving the room. "You three are still grounded, including your video games and I expect you to use your new time wisely." Another groan filled the room. How could they forget about that? They were going to be bored out of their minds. Still they had at least something to occupy them for the next few of hours.
"I will see you three in practice shortly." Splinter voice echoed from the TV room leaving the three behind all disheartened.
Donnie hadn't wasted anytime. He just wanted to be back in his lab away from them! And back with his pain killers for his arm, and for his head. A headache had been creeping into his head since last night. It was like someone was relentlessly pounding from inside his brain trying to break out. Was it last night when that started? What had happened last night anyway? Rubbing his forehead as he tried to recall.
(Flash back)
The last clear thing Donatello remembered was been in the junk yard. He remembered seething, trying to get his temper back under control. He remembered going through each objects he found and then tossing them aside with just as much conviction as he ran and reran through what Raph and Mikey had said and the ranting argument with Leo. Then some time passed and Donnie remembered calming down. He even remembered that he started to feel bad after.
Though what Leo had said upset him…a lot, he probably wouldn't have shouted at him about it if he hadn't already been so annoyed. Yet he remembered smiling to himself as he thought about Mikey's puppy eyes, on the verge of tears when he broke the toaster for the twentieth time. Or how hysterical Raph would get when he was losing at his video game - Then something happened….he remembered hearing a sound before it hit him.… Donnie remembered his next thought been of dread as he felt a sharp pain suddenly shooting up his arm and the world begun to spin.
He remembered been surrounded by a dozen men. They were men dressed in tight black with ski masks and goggles. But he didn't seem to recognize them from any particular organization. To smartly dressed to be the Purple dragons. Who were these guys? What he did notice however was that they were carrying guns as well as black bats! They must be the tranquilizers. Time to go! Donnie thought trying to see and think through the growing blurry vision. He remembered pulling out his phone and started smashing on the emergency red button he had installed. His brothers would come…wait…Leo's phone…he hadn't fixed that yet. Shell! Hopefully Mikey and Raph would pick up….? Double shell!
He then remembered beating his way through the first wave of them who approached him with the long black bats. Thankfully they were nothing against his bow-staff. At some point he remembered breaking away to run and hide in the shadows.
"After him, don't let it escape!" He heard a voice behind him.
He had to get out of here. His vision was fading but if he could just reach a man-hole he could hide and his brothers could track him. He remembered making it as far as the fence only to find more men waiting for him, hitting him with yet another tranquilizer. Shell. Shell. Shell!
His brothers…? They had to be here before he was out for the count…he just had to…..stall…..them….a bit longer. Surrounded once again and half dozed up he also remembered that they didn't have to fight him for very long. Before the turtle knew it he was been pinned face down to the dirty floor of the junk yard.
"We have acquired the target." He heard one of the men say, possibly the one pushing his boot into the back of his neck. Target? He was a target? As in pacifically him? Fantastic! Bloody marvelous. Where the hell was his brothers? They should have been here by now. Were they even paying the tiniest bit of attention to their phones?
His head was feeling heavy, obviously the sedative taking affect as he stopped struggling. Then Donnie remembered the sound of a van driving up close to the group holding him. He could see the tires. Oh hell no! He thought as he felt himself been turned over, a medical trolley been pulled out the back of the black van alongside him. It took every last bit of strength for him to put up any more resistance. Clearly he was on his own. Thanks bro's. Hope you guys are all having fun tonight.
Ok. What to do….? He could feel the man holding his feet had loosened his grip mistaking that Don had lost out to the sedative completely. Don twisted his foot out of his grip before smashing him in the face. The man dropped him and fell back pressing his hand over a bloody nose. But instead of element of surprise, Don just found twice as many men reached out to hold him down. They all seemed pretty pissed off now. Good. If he was going, he wasn't going quietly.
He then felt himself been lifted up by the strangers and tossed onto the bed on wheels. Despite his growling at them they continued to hold him down until his hands and feet were secured by leather straps. He then remembered a plastic oxygen mask been forced over his face. Instantly recognizing the strong smell forced its way up his nose….knock out gas….! The haze was growing, but he was still aware somewhat... He just couldn't struggle anymore. His limbs were like led. Then the sky vanished as he was lifted into the van. But they didn't drive off. For a moment everyone just seemed to vanish. What was everyone waiting for?
There was a lot of voices. Something was going on outside…? Only seconds passed before he noticed one of the men climbing into the van after him, but he didn't seem to be paying the captive turtle any attention anymore. He was standing right just by Donnie's feet. The turtle glared at him, waiting to see what he was going to do. Instead he yanked something out from under the trolley he was bound to. It was some large black carrier bag. Of what he didn't know. The turtle blinked in confusion watching him unzipped the bag and tossed it out the back of the van. Then he was yelling to the other men saying "Hurry it up!" What was going on?
Donnie then remembered seeing a gun been pulled out of the man's belt. Donnie stiffened at that. Were they going to shoot him? But they had him so that seemed a bit pointless? They went through all of this just to shoot him? The drugs had numbed his senses now. At this point all Donnie could feel was that he was….floating… and any further coherent train of thought slowed down to a grinding halt. He was only vaguely aware of the movement around him, going in and out the back of the van. Yet they still hadn't driven off. What kind of kidnapping was this? The first man was back. He then reached forward holding something….Don couldn't see what, but he placed it over his face. It felt very heavy and cold. Solid to the touch but now he was blinded too…. Finally Donnie's world faded away into a drowning sea of darkness…
…
The coffee mug slipped from Donnie's fingers. He hadn't realized until he heard the glass shattering on the stone floor… No that wasn't what had happened. If they had had him, then how had his brothers saved him? The turtle sat down massaging his head. No…. maybe he had gotten out of the van before it had driven off. He just couldn't remember clearly from all the drugs. He was still in the Junk yard with the very same men who were attacking him a moment ago….only now something had changed. There uniforms had the symbol…..The FOOT! The Foot was attacking him now…? Had it been the Foot all along and he just hadn't noticed? So he hadn't been carted off….? Gee. He could give a therapist countless hours of employment with his dreams today.
This entire experience was becoming very unsettling… but what was even more unsettling was that he didn't feel the need to do anything about it. Normally something like this would have plagued him. He would have been writing down everything what he did or didn't remember, what didn't match up anything…. maybe he should run a blood test – oh screw it! Over thinking anything never did him any good! And besides he had much more important things to be doing now.
(End Flashback)
("Am I just dreaming right now? This isn't real!") A voice inside him said. Donnie shook his head ignoring the niggling thoughts at the back of his mind as he almost choked down the pain killers. It was no surprise that everything was so confused. Maybe it was blood loss…..wait when exactly had he been shot? The first thing he had known about that was when he had woken up in the sewers with his brothers. More questions but no one seemed to want to answer them as Donnie just remembered finding himself on his shell. The men surrounded him. His head spinning… there was blood pooling out onto the floor, his blood –
Two light taps and "Donatello!" The voice of his father ran through the room. Donnie sigh. The one person he couldn't ignore.
(FATHER!) A sudden panicked but silent voice in him called out to the door of the lab as though his life depended on it, but strangely the turtle begrudgingly made his way over, slowly opening it to be faced with a sympathetic splinter. No words were exchanged until the old rat came in. Spotting the broken cup on the floor, he turned to face his son, the concern was evident.
"My son are you alright? I heard a crash."
Donatello just nodded but Splinter wasn't fooled.
"I just dropped my coffee." Rubbing his shoulder. "I am fine father thank you."
(No! Splinter! Father this is all wrong, am sorry.") Why?! Why wouldn't his mind just shut up? Why couldn't he just be angry?
For a moment the old rat just looked him over as though he was trying to see something. "And how are you feeling from last night?"
"My shoulder is still throbbing but I'll live." He tried to sound casual. "But I don't think I'll be able to train for a few days."
"That is understandable." Splinter nodded, fully knowing how an injury of this kind could hinder ones movement and take longer for it to heal. "Very well. You will be excused from practice until you feel you are well enough to return."
Donatello bowed in appreciation. This was working out almost perfectly but sadly he knew what was coming next.
"Donatello." Splinter now spoke with a more gentle but firm tone. "Your brothers…" he started.
Both Donnie's eyes narrowed at the question but he couldn't just ignore it. "If they wanted to hear anything I had to say, they would have listened last night."
"But they did come for you. Leonardo did not know that you were in trouble. None of them did. You must know that they would never leave you." He paused a moment. "I do understand why you are upset. You have every right to be and your brother's mistakes have not gone unpunished. But it pains me to see such a rift taring its way through my family. I do believe they are truly sorry." Splinter certainly did know how to lay it on thick. A twinge of guilt burned in the turtle's chest.
Damn it! It was his heart. His conscience came from his heart. That was where the problem laid. If only his head could be in charge all of the time, like now.
("No I have to make this right. Sensei is right. Am not breaking up my family.") Donnie shook his head as his conscience spoke to him once again trying to make him feel bad for his words.
"Your right Sensei. I don't want to fall out with anyone. But they know how soft I am. I go rushing to forgive them now then nothing will change. I just want to make a stand." Donnie gave his father a warm smile which his father reluctantly nodded too.
("What? What are am I saying? What's going on here? Sensei -?")
"I understand my son. But please speak to them soon. If they are willing to put in the work to mend this bridge, let them."
Donatello just nodded at that drawing the conversation to a close.
"Well Sensei I may need to rest my arm but I still have somethings that need my attention if we are going to maintain the safety of the lair." Donnie made his way to his desk collecting some odd tools he might need.
"Part of your brother's punishment is to assist with those jobs and you are not in any fit condition for heavy lifting-"
"Oh I know sensei and that is great, but there are just some small technical things that need doing… I mean we can't let Mikey have the screw driver near a fuse box can we?"
At that Splinter smiled "No I guess not." Never to suspect his gentlest son would never do anything than what he said, and yet something was…. off. Well he had done his duty to mediate his children towards mending there bond. Hopefully they would do the rest. Seeing that his son was on his way out, the old rat soon took his leave ready to start morning lessons, but if he had just looked back over his shoulder just for a moment and seen the look on Donatello's face, he may have suspected something more was amiss.
("SENSEI! NO COME BACK! HELP ME!") Donnie heard himself scream, as he watched his father leave.
"Connection established. All systems are go!" A muffled voice to which Donnie did not recognize court his attention, or at least his conscience…
("Who was saying that? You know this is NOT helping my 'no body listen's to me complex! Why can nobody hear me!?")
A/N: Hope you like. I hope not to keep you all waiting longer with these story. Now that some more of the important things are done with in real life I can get back onto this. Once again if you have any question please feel free to ask. Till next time.
